Space Metamorphosis
COMPACT LIVING
The two following project are more recent examples of compact living layouts. The idea is to occupy the smallest space possible without loosing the amount of rooms users would normally need. Currently there are many examples of small living units, which are based on the idea of an open plan organization with functional and movable walls and furniture. Most of them are based on the same principle of creating virtual space by introducing smart systems of arrangement and storing allowing to unfold temporary zones for different activities yet restraining most of the time the number of coexisting functions to one or two. A tiny apartment in Hong Kong by Gary Chang has certain similarities in plan with the visionary project of Abalos & Herreros. The rectangular plan (fig 22) has one main opening and functional walls with built-in transformable furniture elements are located perpendicular to it. In this example the flow pattern is depending on the functions which are in active mode. As the space can easily transform according to the changing needs of the user, the appearance of their living space is changing according to the time of the day or situation. Changing position of the furniture affect the flow pattern of the user which can, in some cases, become quite narrow and squeezed. By contrast, “All I Own” apartment in Barcelona has a slightly different approach of layout organization. Here the architect has distinguished open plan room from compact functional zones. This project also establishes clear borders between movable and fixed, (fig 23) the kitchen and bathroom are located on two opposite ends of the room and can be hidden by movable furniture elements. In this project the flow is facilitated by the big open room, however the use of fixed spaces can be compromised, as every time you need an access the utilities, it is necessary to move a 500kg functional walls. In our understanding, this concept has certain advantages and disadvantages. The positive side of the tendency is that we can observe how people are reconsidering their needs of space, how they shift from owning many “volume” square meters to living in a compact environment. However, in our opinion, their compromises are quite dramatic and that even though they might be able to squeeze many different spaces according to different functions and time, the space gain remains virtual and none of their “rooms” can coexist at the same time.
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